JaneFan13's Final Story
by janefan13
Summary: When a visitor from afar comes to the castle, Jane must wrestle with her new feelings. Outside of the "Life of" universe. JxOC. This is incomplete. All of you that knew JaneFan13 should read the author's note. And yes, this really is her last fan fiction.


**AN: I am not janefan13, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever truly be. Janefan13 was my niece, Jane, though she was like a very little sister to me. Jane let me beta-read using her penname since I have almost no interest in writing, merely in bettering the writing of others. The two of us were very close. I ate dinner with my sister and Jane almost every night since I have no family of my own. Perhaps she was more like a daughter to me, albeit one that I never had to discipline.**

**Jane passed away recently. She was only sixteen. This was the last thing she wrote. Her mother encouraged me to post this. I cannot speak to how good or bad this may be. I could not finish it, hard as I've tried.**

"Jane, I am afraid I must agree with Gunther." The red head shook her head as though she wished to argue with the decision, though she voiced none of her concerns. "We know almost nothing about our visitors, merely that they come from the Far East and will spend a fortnight with us. The king and court have no objections, but a female knight could be offensive to our guest, and we cannot afford to offend a man as powerful as Gunther claims him to be."

Jane nodded and fled the room. It seemed as though no one agreed with her, that everyone was siding with Gunther. Sir Theodore had been sympathetic, but firm. Sir Ivon Immediately insisted she do as Gunther had _so politely _requested. Now, even Jane's own father, the chamberlain of the castle, had sided with that filthy bog-weevil.

Jane ran across the battlements, relishing in the freedom of movement her attire permitted her. "You must dress like a lady," she muttered under her breath, echoing Gunther's words from earlier that day, "You must at least try to pretend you are a noblewoman." How she detested Gunther Breech with his smug smile. For two entire weeks, she would be banned from all sparring, practice, and even dressing as she pleased so the mysterious _guests_ wouldn't feel uncomfortable, all because Gunther Breech and his slimy father didn't know a lick about the people they were bringing to the castle. Every fiber of her being wanted no more than to punch Gunther in the jaw at that moment.

She ran hard, trying to clear her mind of the scum that was Gunther. For years he had made her life as difficult as possible, this was just another piece of sugar on the tart. Not a single moment since she had begun her training had been remotely comfortable, and that had been seven years before. She loathed him as much as a person possibly could. She felt her cheeks grow wet as her frustration spilled over the brim. She realized she was not far from her room and fled before anyone could see her crying over something as silly as being banned from work for a week.

She threw open the door and slammed it shut behind her. Her hand reached for something on which to dry her tears and forced herself to calm down. Jane forced herself to take long, deep breaths. She could not let herself become so overwhelmed at something so trivial as yet another attempt by Gunther to ruin her life. Yes, Gunther was despicable, and yes, she could not train for two entire weeks, but the visitors would leave and life would return to normal, even if normal was rather painful at times and required daily contact with Gunther. Jane laughed as she realized one good thing about her banishment from the field: she would not even have to see Gunther for two weeks. That alone was more than worthy cause for celebration.

Jane heard a tentative knock on the door. She composed herself as much as she could and bade whomever it was enter. Jester opened the door, and Jane was relieved that her best human friend was at the door. "What was that about?" Jester asked, curious about Jane's rather out of character behavior.

"I cannot continue my knight's training—"

"Jane, that is horrible!" Jester exclaimed, interrupting.

"As I was saying, I cannot continue my knight's training while this mysterious visitor of Gunther's visits," Jane continued, finishing her thought.

"Ah," Jester responded. "That is regrettable. Would you like to commiserate?"

"Of course, Jester. What is your difficulty?"

"A similar cause, though very different result. I am to serve as a translator. This guest has been collecting translators as he moved west, all the way up to France. However, none could be found in France that spoke English and none in Kippernia speak French, so the Frenchman is to be left behind and I am to translate from Italian."

"You speak Italian?" Jane asked, somewhat surprised.

"_Sensa dubbio. _I grew up with gypsies, remember? My parents spoke almost only Italian. I barely knew English when I came here, and I have always done my best to keep up with the language."

"Jester, isn't that good news?"

"Yes and no. Yes, I will most likely be rewarded, but if I do well I will be expected to travel with this person I know nothing of until he leaves the island, a very long time if he spends a fortnight at every castle."

"I see. That is a problem. Do you think you will do well?"

"Without a doubt. Italian was my first language, _mia madre lingua._ I would be more surprised if I did poorly."

"Then I suppose it is out of our hands. You will do well and tour England, I will play the lady-in-waiting, and eventually, this guest will eventually leave and life will return to normal. That's all we can do."

"You are right Jane. But do not expect me to be remotely happy about it."

OoOoO

Jane stood next to her mother when the guest finally arrived. She wore a dress, of course, though she cared little to know more of it than that it was green. She stood in the throne room, to the left of the queen, while the parade filed into the hall. Two score men entered, though seven stood out. Forty four men had the same dark skin, small eyes, and dark hair. Thirty four men wore plain, dull clothing, seemingly of wool with some additional armor, obviously a guard. Five men each wore slightly more extravagant clothing, though nothing of great expense. They were of varied looks and Jane suspected them to be translators. Another man wore grander clothes and appeared in general like the majority of the retinue, but his fingernails were almost a foot in length. Jane had no idea what his purpose might be.

The last man, though, stood out. He was slightly taller than the rest, though not significantly so. His face was clean shaven like most of the rest, but his head was also mostly bare. Only one plait of hair remained, the rest seemed to have been shaved off. His face had the same small eyes, almost like he was constantly squinting, and his skin had the same dark tone, as though all of his time was spent in the sun. His clothing was decadent: he wore an emerald green robe, one that may have been silk with matching shoes and a very small hat of the same color. Golden thread embroidered all the clothing, creating intricate patterns around the collar, down the center, and along the hem. In addition, something about the way he carried himself bespoke confidence, as though he was in charge and he knew it. He was the visitor, the rest were merely there.

The visitor bowed low, the rest of his party matching the gesture. He spoke, his voice almost rumbling through the hall in his tongue. The translators each matched his words, moving from language to language until Jester finally stated, "Greetings, king of this land. I wish you and your family many happy days and that honor and balance always find you in plenty. I am Ding Xia Kong, son of Ding Cheng Jin, son of Ding Jia Huan, son of Ding Zhi Tai. I am a humble merchant and ask that my men and I stay here for some time, learning your ways and spending our coin in your shops." When Jester finished the rather long speech featuring the man's genealogy, Ding Xia Kong lifted from his bow, though his head remained low.

"Of course, Ding Xia Kong. I, King Caradoc of Kippernium and my followers welcome you to this land and hope that you find as much pleasure in our land as we do. You may stay in the castle, if you wish, as may your translators and any other essential servants, and the rest of your men may set up camp outside of the castle walls if they so please." This speech in turn was communicated back to Ding Xia Kong who once more bowed deeply, but he lifted himself to speak again.

"My men and I thank you. If you will pardon us, my men are exhausted from the long journey and still have much to do before they can sleep. May they be excused, so I do not have a mutiny on my hands?"

King Caradoc laughed at this and replied that it was more than permissible and many of the men left the room with Sir Ivon to indicate where they may camp. Now only Ding Xia Kong, his translators, the man with the long nails, and one of the warriors remained. "I am honored by your hospitality, King Caradoc, and I look forward to seeing the many wonders of your kingdom. I have heard that you have both a dragon and a female warrior. I am filled with excitement at talking with a woman that can compete in sport." Jester shot Jane a quick smile as he delivered this. "I also look forward to the famed foods of Kippernia. Your chef is well known throughout France. Truly, your gardens are beautiful, and I look forward to walking through them and appreciating every bloom. Most of all, I look forward to speaking with your merchant and trading with this wonderful land."

Jane felt her happiness bubble up. That bog weevil was wrong the whole time, she thought. He wants to meet Jane lady knight, not Jane lady-in-waiting! Just you wait and see, Gunther Breech. Tomorrow, we spar and you can say nothing to stop it! Jane had difficulty withholding her glee for the remainder of the formal discussion, so did not notice the topic of conversation, nor how often Ding Xia Kong tried to catch her eyes when he was not speaking.

OoOoO

"Take! That! And! That! And! That!" Jane was yet again angry at Gunther, and her chosen method of therapy was whacking really hard at her practice dummy. Gunther was beyond annoying. He still argued that she should refrain from practice despite the fact that the grand visitor had all but bid her to do so. The dummy was very therapeutic. So much so, in fact, that she had not noticed several people approach to watch her pound upon the dummy.

When, finally, she paused for breath, she was startled by the sound of applause from behind her. Ding Xia Kong had finished his business for the day and had been wandering through the gardens when he heard the sounds of a fight. He, of course, looked for the source of such sounds and was surprised to find Jane at work. He stopped clapping and bowed quickly, saying something in greeting. A few moments passed before she finally heard what he had said. "Good afternoon. Are you the woman warrior of which the French complain? A woman who fights like a man and rides into battle upon a dragon?"

Jane laughed before she responded. "Yes, I am the woman warrior, but I don't fight like a man and I've never actually had to ride into battle on either Dragon or on a horse." Jester also mustered a chuckle before repeating her words down the line.

"You have never fought? You call yourself a warrior?"

Jane was sure that no true disrespect was intended, but she still felt affronted. "I am willing to bet that I could match you or any of your men in any fight." Jester eyed her warily before repeating her words.

Ding Xia Kong bowed while his translators relayed his reply. "I am sorry if I have offended your honor. If you wish to fight, I must accept if you feel you have been affronted. Merely name the time and place and we will fight."

"That will not truly be necessary, though if you insist, we can fight right here to the first blow at your soonest convenience. I will have to ask that, whatever weapon you choose, it will do no lasting harm or injury and that I have a chance at some proficiency."

"I believe swords will be suitable, whatever blunted blade you might have will do. If you will excuse me, I shall go to my rooms to dress in clothes more befitting a duel." Jane felt that more had been said, as the translators dispersed.

Jester jogged up to give Jane a friendly warning. "I don't think you know what you're getting into. This could end badly."

What are you talking about? We will not be truly attempting to injure each other. We will not even be using real swords, merely blunted ones. Besides, it'll be to the first blow. It'll be over and done with in the time it takes for him to get ready."

"I don't think you understand. This man enjoys dueling as a hobby. He has defeated knights all over the continent, and if the knight loses, he has an upper hand against the kingdom, for a weak merchant defeated someone trained to fight. He specifically insulted you in a way that doesn't seem like an insult but still angers you. He knows that you were acting the lady-in-waiting yesterday, so he knew that you would be sensitive about whether you are a true knight or not. He wanted this fight. You have to win, or Kippernia could end up completely bankrupt after dealing with him." Jester shook his head and walked away to the slight ringing of bells.

Jane tried to shrug off his words and find a suitable weapon, but now realizing that much more than her reputation was at stake, she felt nervous. She shoved her thoughts aside and made certain that all her muscles were warm and ready for a difficult fight. She was not surprised when he entered the arena a second time, though now his gaudy clothes had been set aside. He wore the plain, brown clothes that the rest of his men always wore and in his hand gleamed a sword. His long braid had been tied into a sharp knot at the base of his neck. He seemed to be rather fit under his ceremonial, heavy robes, and Jane now saw that he moved with the strength and balance of a fighter.

He bowed sharply to her, stood, and resumed a fighter's stance, yet it was unlike any Jane had seen. She too took her stance and they began to circle each other, looking for any opening to attack. He moved first with a strong overhand blow that Jane deflected, but before she could move back into her defensive position, he struck again from the left. This too she deflected, amazed at his speed. No knight had ever fought as quickly as he did now. Jane began to panic, worried that she might yet lose this battle.

He attacked again from her right and she avoided the blow instead. More and more strikes rained down, yet Jane managed to avoid or deflect each one while preserving her energy. She had to stay quick on her feet and alert. His sword looked lighter than most, more similar to her own, so he might be able to keep the pace up for a long time, but eventually he would tire, and then she could attack. She just had to avoid being hit until he slowed some and she could hope to counter his strikes.

Hours passed like that, or they seemed to. The impromptu duel began to draw a rather large crowd, as no one had ever heard of a merchant that could keep up with a knight. Jane took note and deflected more blows so as to seem like the match was more equal. It didn't matter much, as it seemed like he was slowing some. His hits, once lightning fast, were down to the pace of most fighters and his blows were much weaker. He may have been able to fight, but he was not equipped for a lengthy battle like Jane was. Any moment now and Jane would go on the offensive.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jane spotted a very large, very green reptile landing on the ramparts. She turned the fight so that Ding Xia Kong was facing completely away. It would not be fair for him to lose because Dragon intimidated him or some other such thing. The man aimed a blow at her head which she ducked under, but he hesitated a moment too long. He was officially tired.

Jane brought her sword towards his left side. He deflected the blow, but just. Another strike was hit to his right and he yet again barely turned her blade away. She struck again and again, mirroring the rain of blows he had cast upon her, only he was tired and his defensive was sloppy. He was used to winning his battles quickly, not leaving any room for his enemy to counterstrike. This endurance based duel with Jane had taken him off of his game, and now he was about to lose, and he knew it.

Jane feigned a blow from above which he moved to defend, but before he realized it she had changed the angle of attack and came at him from underneath. He was caught off guard and the blow landed forcefully on his left arm. A crack was heard and he dropped his sword, clutching his arm. Such a turn of events was neither anticipated nor appreciated, she could tell. He collapsed to the ground, shocked by the pain.

"Are you alright?" she asked, silently cursing that he could not understand. She reached down to where he lay cradling his injured arm. He looked up and saw the concern in her eyes. He shook his head, as though he had actually comprehended the question and held the lame appendage out to her. She carefully rolled back the sleeve of his uniform. He hissed in pain as the fabric moved back, but he did not make any other sign of pain. His arm bent at an awkward angle. It was definitely broken.

"Someone get the wizard and his translators. His arm is broken, rather badly."

OoOoO

Jane regretted that she had injured the man, but she had defended the honor of her King and country as well as her own, and did so rather brilliantly. In addition to the obvious perks, she was now regarded with a sort of awe around the castle. The tales of Ding Xia Kong's victories had caught up with him, and _Jane_ was the knight to defeat him, no other. Besides that, her kingdom now had the upper hand in the trade negotiations. No one could question her validity as a knight, nor the tremendous favor she had done for her nearly bankrupt country. First she brought a dragon to their army for no cost, and then she facilitated the upper hand in trade? Jane felt very proud of herself, as she deserved.

Still, she had injured a guest of the court. No matter the benefits from such an injury, apologies needed to be made, or an enemy of the court might be. The merchant had kept tightly to his quarters for several days following the initial incident, so Jane regrettably had to go to him to ask forgiveness. She wouldn't have bothered, though, if her father had not expressly asked. She might as well have had a sword at her back; else she wouldn't have tried at all.

She knocked politely at the door and was slightly surprised to see Jester answer it. He relayed back her presence to Ding Xia Kong before letting her into the room. It was significantly larger than her rooms, but he was a visiting dignitary so that made a lot of sense. The five translators lounged on various couches while Ding Xia Kong rested on the bed, writing. She bowed somewhat awkwardly and rose.

Ding Xia Kong said something just before she began. Jane had been anticipating a flurry of repetition, but nothing more happened.

"Pardon me?" she asked. He had surely said something, but why was there no effort to translate it?

Her question was relayed back and his brow furrowed in frustration. He spoke once more in what seemed to be…English? "I am sorry," the man said very slowly, very purposefully, as though he had been trying to get it right. It was nowhere near perfect, but it was an obvious and valiant attempt.

"For what?" Jane asked, confused.

Ding Xia Kong's brow furrowed once more. He paused for some time. "You fight well."

"I do not know what to say. It is I who should apologize to you."

He shook his head and spoke again, this time through the translators. "I insulted your honor for no reason beyond my personal gain. I had insulted the honor of many knights before, and I was due for a lesson, one that you provided admirably. I apologize to both you and those other knights and find myself in much dishonor because of my actions. Please forgive me."

"You are forgiven, if you insist. And I thank you for attempting to learn our language." Jane bowed again, mirroring his tendency quite on purpose.

She made a move to leave the room, but Ding Xia Kong exclaimed something. She paused, waiting for it to be relayed. "Wait!" Jester translated. Jane stood in the doorway as the bedridden merchant thought for a moment. He spoke once more to the translators, not to Jane, and most left the room. Only one, a man that did not understand either the language of Ding Xia Kong or Jane, remained. Jane was very intrigued. How could they hope to speak without the translators?

"Jian Nuo," said the man, though Jane did not understand.

He pointed to himself. "Xia Kong." He pointed to her. "Jian Nuo."

Jane understood. He was saying, to his best ability, her name. "Jane," she said, emphasizing the sounds.

He shook his head. "Jian Nuo," he insisted. He pointed again. "Jian Nuo."

Jane shook her head, confused.

He furrowed his brow, thinking deeply. With his uninjured arm, he flexed while stating "_Jian_" in a low, masculine tone. He pointed again. "Jian Nuo."

Jane thought a moment. He wasn't just trying to say her name, as he had negated her attempts at correcting him. Besides, "_Jian_" was more accurate, but he insisted on adding "_Nuo_". _Jian_ had something to do with his little game of charades, something about muscles, strength. "Gunther_ jian_," she tried. "Jane _jian nuo_."

He nodded. She was right."_Jian nuo_" meant something about strength, but he was also using it as a nickname. "Xia Kong _jian bu_."

He referred to himself as Xia Kong, so he was talking about himself. _Jian_ was something like strong. But what could _bu_ mean? She shook her head again. Why in the world had he dismissed the translators? This was getting nowhere!

"Gunther _jisn_. Theodre _jian. _Ivan _jian. _Jane _jian nuo_. Xia Kong _jian bu_." He was trying to say something he felt was very important. Why couldn't she understand.

"_Bu_?" she asked, hoping he would help her understand.

He furrowed his brow. "_Bu, ma_." A question was obvious, though she couldn't hear it. Perhaps the way things were said mattered.

"_Bu_," she repeated, shrugging her shoulders in question.

He shook his head. "_Bu_."

She shrugged.

"_Bu_," he repeated, shaking his head.

Jane realized with a start. "_Jian_," she said, mimicking the show of strength. "_Jian bu_." She imitated a weakling to the best of her ability.

He nodded. "Xia Kong _jian bu_."

Jane shook her head. "Xia Kong _jian_."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but couldn't find words. Jane decided to beat him to it. "Xia Kong fought," she mimed a fight, "long time," she pointed to the sun then lowered her hand to the horizon.

He nodded to show he understood, but shook his head. "_Bu."_

She mimicked his action._ "Jian."_

He paused. Finally, he hit himself on the chest. "_Jian_." He placed his hand on his head. "_Jian bu_." Jane started to say something but he cut her off. He slapped his chest. "Jian Nuo _jian nuo." _He placed his hand on his head. "Jian Nuo _jian nuo."_He looked to Jane, hope that she might understand bright in his eyes.

He was saying something, something very important, something so important he couldn't let his translators hear. Jane _knew _that, but she didn't know what it was. It was something she was losing in translation, something pivotal, something essential. Jane had no idea what it might possibly be. Jane shook her head.

His face fell. He was disappointed, she knew, but she could do no better. He sighed deeply. "_Zaijian_, Jian Nuo," he said, turning away.

This needed no translation. He was so frustrated, he was now dismissing her. She bowed once more, politely, but he did not see her. A part of Jane felt as though her mind had betrayed her for not understanding.

OoOoO

A week passed before Jane saw Ding Xia Kong again. Xia Kong, she corrected herself. He had called himself Xia Kong. He was on strict orders not to leave his bed, so she could hardly be surprised. He was attending meetings with her father and the merchant all day, from dawn to dusk, with no break. He would likely finish his business in Kippernia before she truly had a chance to speak to him again, either through the translators or as they had attempted without. She had, however, had a chance to ask Jester what _jian nuo _meant. Her question had been translated back to her and the response was, oddly, graceful strength. He had nicknamed her not merely strong, but graceful. How she wished she could understand what he was saying to her!

When she saw him walking through the gardens without his retinue of translators, she became nervous. Was he still frustrated about her lack of comprehension? Would he continue to speak as he had, trying to force her to understand? She tried to shake the fears away and walked up to him. "Good morning," she stated, trying her best to seem bold.

"_Qingduoguanzhao_, Jian Nuo" he returned idly, eyeing a rose plant. He placed his hand lightly underneath the flower. "_Qiangwei_," he said, almost absentmindedly.

She said nothing for a moment. He looked to her and nodded back to the plant. "_Qiangwei_," he repeated, much firmer.

Jane nodded. "_Qiangwei_," she echoed, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Rose," she responded.

"Rose," he reiterated, seeming to taste the way the word fell out of his mouth.

He walked a bit further, stopping at another plant. He shook his head.

Jane thought for a moment. Perhaps he had no word for them. "Chrysanthemum."

"Krisanta…" he floundered, and his brow furrowed again.

Jane smiled. "Chrysanthemum," she repeated slowly, emphasizing each sound.

"Krisantamam," he tried again, still struggling.

"Chrys-" she started before pausing.

"Kris-" he repeated.

"-anth-"she continued.

"-ant-" he attempted, failing.

Jane repeated the _th _sound, trying to demonstrate how she formed it.

He mimicked her, but still couldn't form it. His brow furrowed once more and she could sense his frustration. If she didn't do something, he might decide to storm off, and the moment would be lost.

"Chryantemum," she said, smiling.

"Krisantamam," he repeated, still trying to perfect the sound, yet a small smile began to form at the corners of his mouth.

They continued like that, merely pointing out objects and stating the name in both languages. They had identified every plant and were moving out of the garden before they noticed that several people were watching them from a distance. Jane discreetly gestured to them and he bowed to her, taking his leave. She returned the bow and walked to the arena.

**AN: If you would allow me the slightest bit more of your time, I would like to thank all of you, every last one. Every Favorite, every subscription, every comment, every view was important to her and helped bring a smile to her face. I would especially like to thank JesterBellsILove, her very first reviewer and first friend online, SunRise19, whose comments she always respected, Kyra4, who Jane managed to be friends with despite insane jealousy over her talent, as well New Heart, Whochild of Darkness, and many others. You truly made an impact on her life, and I feel as though she would want you to know that she did not just leave, not fade into the black. More than anything, I know she would hate that her friendship with you was cut as short as this story. Every last one of you was important to her.**

**I thank you all for your friendship to Jane over the years and hope that when next you set pen to paper or fingers to keys to honor the creator of this wonderful show, you also honor the memory of a girl that I can truly say, with a heavy heart, was a lifetime fan of Jane and the Dragon, fan fiction, and every last one of you.**


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